Drummer Ken Mary has worked as a session and live player with a list of artists that’s beginning to look like a who’s who of metal and rock, including Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Alice Cooper, The Beach Boys, and Gene Simmons of Kiss. He’s been a member of House of Lords, Flotsam and Jetsam, Fifth Angel , toured with German metal legends Accept, and has appeared on recordings of multimillion-selling artists including Don Dokken, Kip Winger, Jordan Rudess, Impelliteri, Bonfire and many more.
“Drummers are an odd breed. They march to their own beat. I’ve worked with many drummers; some laid back in the pocket while others drove the band like a Benzedrine-crazed truck driver. Ken Mary could be whatever I wanted him to be. He’s one of the most versatile musicians I’ve ever worked with. Ken is a future drummer’s Hall of Fame candidate”, said Alice Cooper when talking about Mary.
Today Mary has revealed a new project, titled “The Neil Peart Experiment.” Anyone who knows Ken knows his reverence for Neil Peart‘s composition skills. Throughout his career, he has cited Neil as one of his greatest influences, explaining that he’s always wanted to try to duplicate Peart‘s drumming, at least in the technical sense, on a Rush track to experience what Neil did.
Well, one of Ken’s drummer friends challenged him to do just that, with a few twists. As an experienced session musician, could Ken remove Neil Peart’s drum track from a Rush song and replace Neil’s parts almost note for note? How close to the original recordings in sound and performance could Ken get? But here were the additional rules the friend gave him: Ken must record the songs all in one pass, with no editing or samples, or any adjustment of any kind. And remember, the original songs were not recorded to a click track, so the time drifted on occasion!
Ken’s friend was essentially asking him to remove the “foundation of the house” and replace it since all the other tracks (vocals, bass, guitar, and keys) were recorded after the drums were laid down. Could it be done?
Ken comments: “This experiment was more difficult than I imagined it would be. I had to learn the fills and grooves exactly as Neil played them on the original recordings, as he did change them slightly over the years. I had to rehearse the songs to where they felt natural and know where the band surged or pulled back at times, so I could lock to the existing guitars and bass. And they didn’t use a click track! If anyone else wants to try this experiment, please do. But remember the rules! I have my individual GoPro video and audio to prove this was all in one pass with no editing or enhancement. I hope Neil would have been pleased with this ‘experiment,’ and the fact that another artist would make the effort to record these songs, and get them as exact as possible using the original methods he used. Maybe the greatest gift I received in this whole process was a feeling of getting a bit closer to Neil Peart as an artist, and stealing a brief glimpse at the moment of these recordings.”
Watch Ken‘s introduction to his video series below, and make sure to follow him on YouTube and Instagram for the upcoming episodes where he plays some of Rush‘s most recognizable songs.
Mega-platinum Producer Michael Wagener, (Metallica, Alice Cooper, Janet Jackson), states: “Ken Mary is a brilliant session and live player. Whether it is blazing fast, precise technical playing, or just a great sense of groove you need, he’s your guy. One of the best.”
In Modern Drummer, a review of the first House of Lords album reads: “A major reason for their (House of Lords) originality, if not the major reason, is Ken Mary‘s drumming. Unquestionably, he is the best hard rock drummer in America today. Nobody plays like Ken Mary. Want to learn something? See these guys live, buy this album, and pay attention to Mr. Mary.”
Famed producer Andy Johns, of Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones fame, was also famous for firing famous drummers on his productions but praised Ken‘s playing. Bassist Chuck Wright recalls: “After Ken recorded a very Bonham-inspired drum track for ‘Can’t Find My Way Home,’ Andy grabbed Ken, said to him repeatedly, “You and Bonham, man, you and Bonham.”
Ken adds “Bonham was a true inspiration for me, so this was one of the biggest compliments of my life. That and the fact that Andy didn’t fire me!”
Alongside his drumming skills, Ken has developed into a skilled writer and music producer as well. “I was blessed to have worked alongside some of the most famous engineers and music producers in music history, such as Michael Wagener (Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica), Andy Johns (Led Zeppelin), Terry Brown (Rush), Mac (Queen), Mick Guzauwski (Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey), Robert Scoville (Rush, Tom Petty), Terry Date (Soundgarden, Def Tones), Mike Tacci (Metallica), and Desmond Child (Ricky Martin, Aerosmith).”
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